One of the main attractions of the Galápagos Islands are the giant tortoises. Just so you know, a tortoise lives on land and a turtle lives partly in the water. Shortly after arrival on the first day our tour group was escorted from the airport to the Darwin Research Station in the southern end of Isla Santa Cruz. There we saw most of the salient creatures of the islands and were given information on the conservation efforts of the park rangers. The Galápagos tortoise has been divided into six breeds and one of them is almost extinct. Lonesome George, the last of the Galápagos "Pinta tortoises" lives at the Darwin Research Station. He is accompanied by two females of a different but similar breed in hopes that he will mate. I got a few pictures of him but he looks depressed so I won't share them here. He is nearly 100 years old as well! The other turtles serve as better examples. The Shape of the shell is the distinguishing factor between the different breeds. The tortoises with shells allowing them to reach for vegetation at higher levels with their necks are considered more evolved. Before humans came to Galápagos the underbrush of the islands was filled with the giant tortoises. The first settlers centered their diet on the soft meat of the tortoise and this brought down their numbers quickly. Now there is a big effort to repopulate the islands with them hatching the young from the various breeding centers.
I went to the breeding center on Isla Isabela one day to see the tortoises feed in the morning. Often times they don't move around much and this was an opportunity to see them in action.
One of the main attractions of the Galápagos Islands are the giant tortoises. Just so you know, a tortoise lives on land and a turtle lives partly in the water. Shortly after arrival on the first day our tour group was escorted from the airport to the Darwin Research Station in the southern end of Isla Santa Cruz. There we saw most of the salient creatures of the islands and were given information on the conservation efforts of the park rangers. The Galápagos tortoise has been divided into six breeds and one of them is almost extinct. Lonesome George, the last of the Galápagos "Pinta tortoises" lives at the Darwin Research Station. He is accompanied by two females of a different but similar breed in hopes that he will mate. I got a few pictures of him but he looks depressed so I won't share them here. He is nearly 100 years old as well! The other turtles serve as better examples. The Shape of the shell is the distinguishing factor between the different breeds. The tortoises with shells allowing them to reach for vegetation at higher levels with their necks are considered more evolved. Before humans came to Galápagos the underbrush of the islands was filled with the giant tortoises. The first settlers centered their diet on the soft meat of the tortoise and this brought down their numbers quickly. Now there is a big effort to repopulate the islands with them hatching the young from the various breeding centers. 
I went to the breeding center on Isla Isabela one day to see the tortoises feed in the morning. Often times they don't move around much and this was an opportunity to see them in action. 
No comments:
Post a Comment